Association Between Presenteeism/Absenteeism and Well-being Among Korean Workers

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Psychology
• Public Health

Background:

• Absenteeism (sick leave) and presenteeism (working while ill) negatively impact productivity and employee health.
• Understanding the relationship between these productivity losses and overall well-being is essential for workplace interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between presenteeism and absenteeism with the well-being levels of Korean workers.
• To identify the impact of productivity loss due to illness on mental and physical health outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of data from 44,019 Korean workers from the 2017 Korean Working Conditions Survey.
• Utilized the World Health Organization Well-Being Index (WHO-5) to assess well-being.
• Employed multiple linear regression to examine the association between presenteeism/absenteeism and well-being scores.

Main Results:

• Workers experiencing presenteeism reported significantly lower well-being scores (β = -1.011, P < 0.0001).
• Workers experiencing absenteeism also reported significantly lower well-being scores (β = -0.403, P < 0.0001).
• Both presenteeism and absenteeism were statistically linked to diminished well-being.

Conclusions:

• Presenteeism and absenteeism are significantly associated with reduced well-being among Korean workers.
• Effective management strategies for presenteeism and absenteeism are vital for safeguarding worker health.
• This study underscores the importance of addressing productivity-related health issues in the workplace.